Indiana officer arrested for unauthorized Flock licence plate database searches

Georgetown Police Officer Justin Craig was arrested on 22 October after investigators found he ran dozens of unauthorised searches on a law enforcement vehicle-tracking system.

Georgetown officer among eight Indiana police arrested over Flock database misuse

A Georgetown, Indiana, police officer was arrested on Thursday, 22 October 2026, following a state investigation into alleged unauthorised use of a law enforcement surveillance database, bloomingtonian.com reports.

Georgetown Police Department Officer Justin Craig faces one Level 6 felony count of official misconduct and two Class A misdemeanour counts of fraud. The charges stem from his alleged repeated misuse of the Flock automated licence plate recognition system.

Investigation triggered by the police chief

The Indiana State Police (ISP) investigation opened on 2 September when ISP Detective Clay Boley met with the Georgetown police chief, who had been alerted to irregular search activity involving the department's Flock account.

An internal review found that Craig had conducted numerous searches during 2026 that did not appear connected to legitimate law enforcement work. Investigators examined system access logs and found that Craig had entered justifications including traffic violations, drug offences, assaults and vehicle thefts — but could not identify corresponding cases that would support any of those queries.

The searches occurred consistently during Craig's scheduled duty hours, according to ISP. After reviewing department records, work schedules and electronic access logs, Boley concluded that Craig had accessed Flock information in violation of department policy and without a lawful purpose. Boley subsequently obtained an arrest warrant through the Floyd County courts.

On Thursday, ISP SWAT officers assisted in serving the warrant at Craig's residence in Greenville. He was taken into custody without incident.

State police did not disclose whose vehicles or licence plates Craig allegedly searched, whether the searches involved people he knew, or what he intended to do with the information. The investigation remains active, and ISP said no additional information would be released at this time.

What Flock Safety does

Flock Safety operates automated licence plate recognition cameras that photograph passing vehicles and record identifying details, including plate numbers, vehicle characteristics and the time and location of each detection. Law enforcement agencies use the resulting records to assist in crime investigations and vehicle location efforts.

The technology has also generated privacy and accountability concerns because it can allow police to reconstruct portions of a vehicle's movements — including those of people not suspected of any offence.

The Georgetown case highlights a distinct concern: whether officers who are authorised to use such databases can access information for purposes unrelated to their official duties.

At least eight Indiana officers publicly identified in 2026

Craig's arrest brings to at least eight the number of Indiana law enforcement officers publicly identified as arrested or criminally charged in connection with alleged licence plate reader misuse in 2026, according to previously published reports and law enforcement announcements. The cases span agencies in Indianapolis, Jackson County, Hancock County and Georgetown.

The eight officers identified are:

1. Justin Craig, Georgetown Police Department — arrested 22 October on one Level 6 felony count of official misconduct and two Class A misdemeanour counts of fraud. Investigators allege he ran numerous searches using law enforcement justifications unsupported by actual cases.

2. Skylar N. Thompson, former Jackson County sheriff's deputy — arrested 31 August after investigators found he allegedly searched the same licence plate 2,055 times between 31 December 2025 and 2 August 2026, listing "City Planning/Traffic Analysis" as his justification despite holding no such assignment. Charged with official misconduct and fraud.

3. James Heneghan, Hancock County sheriff's deputy — arrested 24 September following an ISP investigation that began with allegations of threatening text messages, and subsequently uncovered unauthorised licence plate searches involving people Heneghan knew. Charged with intimidation, official misconduct and fraud.

4. Matthew Dane Binford, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — charged 23 September with official misconduct and fraud. Investigators allege he searched a plate associated with his former wife more than 1,000 times and repeatedly searched his own plate as well.

5. Abigail Cramer, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — among five officers charged 23 September with alleged unauthorised Flock searches. Cramer subsequently resigned from the department.

6. Cassandra Crawley, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — charged 23 September in connection with searches allegedly conducted without legitimate law enforcement purposes.

7. Michael Rogers, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — charged 23 September after reporting by The Washington Post identified approximately 3,759 searches over ten months involving vehicles associated with his wife and two acquaintances.

8. Jonathan Schultz, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — charged 23 September on 26 counts including fraud and stalking. Investigators allege he used the system to search for women he knew or was interested in meeting, including a woman associated with a gym.

In the Indianapolis cases, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said investigations uncovered thousands of unauthorised searches. Five of the Indianapolis officers were charged on 23 September following separate inquiries into allegations that they had used Flock to track former romantic partners and acquaintances without legitimate law enforcement purposes.

Craig is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown